Who Is Regulus Black?
by questionablestability
Summary: Instead of attempting to kill Harry, Voldemort opts to kidnap him and raise him to become a Death Eater. Raised by an exDeath Eater who is thought to be dead and Snape, Harry has a very different perspective.
1. The Beginning

Severus Snape glowered. Why did the Dark Lord have to choose _him_? Lord Voldemort had decided that the best way to deal with the threat posed by the Potter boy's existence was to have one of his Death Eaters kidnap the boy and raise him to serve the Dark Lord, not defy him. Although he served as a spy to Albus Dumbledore, Severus knew he couldn't warn the Headmaster. If the old man had listened to his warning that the spy sounded suspiciously like Peter Pettigrew, Snape wouldn't be on his way to Godric's Hollow. It was too late now. He was glad that he _hadn't_ been too late to warn Regulus about Malfoy. Black had had time to fake his death and thus avoid execution by Lucius's wand, and it was thanks to Regulus that Severus now possessed the Invisibility Cloak he'd be using during the kidnapping. Regulus was another secret he was keeping from Dumbledore. The younger Black brother had been hiding in Snape's quarters for nearly a year now.

According to his information, Pettigrew had managed to lure the Potters to a friend's house for a Halloween party. Those idiots had left their son to that fool, Sirius Black. Severus cast a whispered, "Alohamora", and the door opened silently. Without a sound, Snape snuck over to the goblet of pumpkin juice Black clutched. While the man glanced over at Harry, momentarily leaving his drink unwatched, Severus tipped a few drops of potion into the goblet. The potion was colorless, tasteless, and odorless; the only sign it ever left was a terrible hangover, and one drop was enough to knock Hagrid out for several hours. Sirius turned back to the goblet with a sigh, obviously not noticing the invisible wizard beside him. Snape watched as Sirius emptied the goblet, collapsing immediately afterward. Severus almost pitied his old enemy the headache he would have in the morning; one sip would have sufficed so draining the goblet would no doubt leave the man unconscious all night and for most of the morning. Snape plucked the goblet from Black's hand and replaced it with a half-empty bottle of firewhisky. Quickly, he arranged twelve empty firewhisky bottles by the man, taking off the Invisibility Cloak for a moment to work.

When Severus had finished with Black, he found Harry staring at him. The boy had been watching silently the whole time. Surprising himself, Snape began speaking softly and reassuringly to the child. "I'm really sorry about all this, Harry. I know things won't be easy for you. I have to take you away now, and you might not see your parents again."

Harry cocked his head slightly, staring at Severus with curious emerald eyes. "No more James Lily? No more Padfoot?" Snape nodded slowly. Harry bit his lip, clearly trying not to cry. "No more Uncle Remus?" he asked hesitantly.

"Sorry," Snape mumbled.

Now Harry was watching him shyly. "Don't be sad. James Lily sad lot. Padfoot sad too. His family bad. Uncle Remus not so sad. He very brave. Harry wanna be brave." Severus smiled gratefully at him and Harry grinned back.

"Don't worry Harry. You won't be alone. You'll have Regulus and I."

"Regulus?"

"Yes, Harry. I'll introduce you." Snape picked up Harry carefully, making sure to get a good grip on him before Disapparating. He walked through Hogsmeade, hiding Harry and himself under the cloak. When they finally arrived at the castle, Severus used a secret entrance that took him directly to the dungeons. Once they were safely in Snape's quarters, he took off the cloak. Regulus came in from one of Snape's other rooms and glanced curiously at Harry.

"Is he the Potter boy?" Black inquired. Snape nodded.

"Harry, this is Regulus," Severus informed him slowly.

The boy giggled. "He look like Padfoot."

Regulus raised an eyebrow. Severus explained, "That was Potter's ridiculous nickname for your brother, remember?"

"Oh. You know Sirius?" Regulus asked Harry.

Harry nodded enthusiastically. "He funny. Make Lily yell lot."

"Yeah, that's him," Regulus laughed.

Snape rolled his eyes. "Here, you take him. I have to grade some papers."

Regulus held Harry gently, watching the potions master frown and stalk over to his office. He assured Harry, "Don't worry, Severus is just grumpy. I think he likes you."

The Death Eaters held a meeting several nights later, and afterwards, Severus was told the name the Dark Lord had chosen for Harry Potter. He had to struggle not to laugh when he was told that the boy would be called "Regulus Black". All the Death Eater members of the Black family had been informed and were instructed to act as if the boy were truly one of them.


	2. First Ally

Regulus was delighted to have Harry around so that he wouldn't be left by himself everyday. He quickly got used to the boy's presence and spent most of his time making up games to amuse the boy. Severus pretended to be annoyed, but he was glad that Regulus wasn't as lonely, and he was starting to like having Harry around, not that he would ever admit it. They both worked on training Harry to respond to his new name when in public. The boy found it very amusing to be referred to by the other man's name, especially when it was Regulus calling him by it. Their conversations became difficult as Severus couldn't safely refer to either of them and make it clear whom he was talking to.

Harry was inquisitive, and as he got older and his speech capability increased, he began to ask more and more about what had happened to him. The boy was patient as he carefully learnt all the details of his kidnapping. Severus was surprised that the boy wasn't very angry. Once both men were sure Harry could keep secrets, they revealed that Regulus had betrayed the Death Eaters and was thought dead, and Severus explained his role as a spy. Harry startled them by announcing he wished they were his parents because he was very proud of them, and he thought they were very brave. Both men taught the boy about the Potters and the Order of the Pheonix, but he was still adamant that they were better heroes.

As Harry got older, Regulus began telling him stories about the Black family, and Harry was particularly fond of memories of Sirius misbehaving. Regulus informed Harry of some of the mischief he had caused, explaining that the reason why he never caught was that he was just like Sirius but a Slytherin so he was smarter. From Severus, Harry heard stories of his parents at school, and he was disappointed to find that his father and his friends were bullies. Both men reassured him that the Marauders had grown up and told Harry many of the nice things they did as well, but Harry remained disapproving.

Having heard that his parents, especially his mother, were very bright, Harry was eager to learn magic as well. Regulus helped Harry read, and the boy began to learn some basic spells, although he was warned that he wasn't really supposed to use them yet. Sometimes, Harry followed Severus into his private potions lab and demanded that the man explain it to him. Severus allowed Harry to prepare ingredients and sometimes add them, explaining the significance of the contents and the properties of each potion.

When Harry was six, he was invited to Malfoy Manor to aid his charade as a Black. Harry knew a little of Narcissa from Regulus, and he hated Lucius because the man was sent to murder Regulus and he had heard of other terrible crimes the man had committed. Severus and Regulus planned with Harry to try to convince the Malfoy heir to change sides. Harry was eager to meet the boy since he had not yet encountered any other children.

Narcissa was pleased to find that Harry was very polite and knew how to behave with the dignity befitting a pureblood. She was surprised at his knowledge of the Black family and their traditions. When she greeted him, she was startled. "Hello, young Regulus. Welcome to the Malfoy home."

He looked up at her with eyes that were far from innocent or childlike. Regulus had taught him this to unnerve people, and it worked well. Bowing formally, he murmured, "It is a pleasure to receive the courtesy offered me, Narcissa." She blinked and quickly turned to speak with Severus. Harry smirked and waited patiently.

Finally, Severus suggested, "Regulus, you may go speak with Draco. A house elf will show you the way." Harry nodded politely.

Draco was reading when Harry found him. The blond looked up immediately, his eyes shyly not quite meeting Harry's. "Hello…I'm Draco."

Harry grinned. "My name is Regulus Black." Draco nodded and then looked away, as if unsure what to do. "What are you reading?"

"It's a book my mother gave me. Father said I'm not very intelligent and I ought to read more if I don't want others to say that the Malfoys are illiterate. The book is about the Ministry, and I think it's rather boring, but Father says it doesn't matter what I think and I must read it or he'll be most displeased and he shall have to cane me again."

Striding confidently over to the young Malfoy, Harry glanced down at the book. "It does look boring. I'm allowed to read whatever I want."

"Really? Even muggle books? I saw one once. It looked funny, and I wanted to read it, but Father yelled at me and said I mustn't, and then he caned me."

Harry cocked his head. "Oh. I can read muggle books whenever I want. I was told that muggles are just as good as wizards, and the only wizards that don't think so are stupid, and they only say that because they're afraid of the muggles. Prejudiced wizards are even more pathetic than squibs."

"Really?" Draco inquired doubtfully.

Nodding emphatically, Harry assured him, "Some of the best books I ever read are by muggles, and I was told that some of the most important spells were inspired by smart muggles or created by muggleborns."

"My father said all muggle-lovers die."

"Oh. I don't think so. Your father's a Death Eater, and he only says that because if the muggle-lovers don't die, he will." Draco stared at him. "It's true, and there are much more muggles than Death Eaters so everyone knows that the Death Eater lord will lose, and everyone who listens to him will die or lose their soul in Azkaban."

"Would they kill me too? Father always says I have to be just like him."

"No, not if you join the other side."

"I can't disobey my father, he'd kill me."

"But Draco, your father canes you."

Draco blinked at him. "So? Doesn't yours?"

"No. My father loves me. So does my mother. I think your mother might love you too, but she's afraid of your father because he's evil and he likes to kill people."

"He likes to kill people?" Draco repeated nervously.

"Yeah. He's very mean. But the people that fight people like him, they're more powerful, and they will win. If you join my side of the war, we can protect you and your mother from your father. He wouldn't be able to cane you."

"Does your side kill people too?"

"We try not to. A lot of us have to be careful though and pretend to be like Death Eaters. If you join us, you have to pretend to do what your father tells you."

"Oh. That sounds dangerous," Draco commented doubtfully.

"Yeah, but when we win, everyone will say we're heroes, and they'll give us lots of presents."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Besides, in stories, everyone always hates the bad guys, like the Death Eaters. I think it would be a lot more fun to have friends, not have everyone hate you."

Draco paused for a long moment, considering. "Okay, I'm with you."

"Great!" Harry exclaimed and then frowned at the book Draco was still holding. "If you like, I can read that with you. It might be faster." Draco nodded gratefully.

By the time they finished, both boys could hear Narcissa and Severus approaching to tell Harry it was time to leave. Draco frowned. "Will you come again?"

"Sure, just ask your mother to invite me again. If you want, I can bring a muggle book for you to read."

"That would be awesome!" Draco told him excitedly.

Severus came in and told Harry, "It's time to go Regulus."

"Yes, sir," Harry replied, grinning at Draco.

Timidly, Draco smiled and whispered, "Thanks. Good bye."

"See you, Draco!" Harry called cheerfully, and then Severus Disapparated with him.

When they were back home, Severus and Regulus looked at Harry expectantly. "He agreed. We're going to be friends now, and I promised to bring him a muggle book. Draco's afraid of his father, and I think now that we have him on our side, we might be able to convince Narcissa. I think she really cares about Draco." Both men grinned.


	3. Changes

That year, Harry spent Christmas with Draco, but of course Lucius was away, too busy to have time for his family. Draco began to become more confident, no longer having to live in constant fear of his father. Harry enjoyed spending time with him, and the two quickly became best friends. Later, Harry was forced to meet Bellatrix and both of the Lestrange brothers. Draco and Harry befriended Bellatrix's four-year-old son, Tiberius. He insisted that they call him Tiber and he loved to annoy his mother. She hated the sight of him, and when Regulus heard of this, he told Harry that it was just like Sirius's relationship with his mother. Tiber was quick for his age, and he followed Draco and Harry like a shadow. The boy acted wild, and he seemed fearless. The only thing that could scare him was his mother, and it was obvious why. She didn't hesitate to use Unforgivables and other dark curses as a method of punishment, and even her husband thought it best to avoid her when she was in a bad mood. It didn't take much persuading for Harry and Draco to convince Tiber to eavesdrop on his parents when they were discussing Death Eater plans.

Regulus used his Invisibility Cloak to try to find Horcruces, but so far, the only ones he had destroyed were a locket, a cup that was previously Hufflepuff's, and a Slytherin ring. He was delighted when Draco managed to steal Tom Riddle's diary from his father and pass it along to Harry. That Horcrux was quickly destroyed, and Regulus tried to estimate how many more had been made. He doubted that Voldemort had managed to split his soul more than ten times, but it was Severus who finally suggested that there were seven pieces of the soul. Regulus immediately agreed, and they tried to decide what the last two Horcruces were.

When Harry was eight, Severus and Regulus made a pair of magical contact lenses for him so that he didn't have to worry about his glasses getting broken all the time. Also, they agreed that the lack of glasses made him look a lot less like James. They had been trying over the years to find ways to make him look less like the Potters. Severus had invented a potion to tame Harry's hair, and they convinced the boy to let it grow long. He had streaks of it dyed Slytherin green to match his eyes. Since Harry stayed indoors almost constantly, he looked much paler than both of his parents, and this inspired Regulus to have Snape make Harry a potion to keep his skin from becoming tan. Harry began using black eyeliner to make his eyes stand out even more against his pale face. He and Regulus enjoyed experimenting with different blends of tea, and Harry quickly became obsessed with a strange flavored mixture that began staining his lips a dark purple that was almost black. He drank it everyday, and both men laughed at him and the change in his appearance, although they all agreed that it aided the contrast/dark wizard theme he had going. Draco began to joke that Harry was a vampire because of his pale skin, dark hair, dark-rimmed eyes, and dark lips. Like Severus, Harry dressed in all black, but upon Regulus's urging, he wore Slytherin green as well, always just enough to complement his eyes. Regulus took Harry to get his ear pierced, and when Severus protested, Regulus suggested that he pierce his ear as well. This led to a long argument about Severus's appearance, and finally, Regulus suggested that he use potions to alter himself like he had done with Harry.

Snape eventually agreed to a potion to decrease the greasy residue his potions left in his hair. When students stopped making jokes about his hair, Severus grudgingly agreed to follow the rest of Regulus's advice. Now that it was no longer weighed down by grease, Snape's hair had acquired a slight wave, and he began wearing it in a loose ponytail. On a dare, he began wearing eyeliner like Harry, and when Regulus commented that it looked good on him, Severus gave in to Harry's pleas to wear it all the time. While Harry visited Draco, Severus often collected potions ingredients from the gardens at Malfoy Manor, and this gradually gave him a dark tan. Annoyed by Regulus's constant mocking of the billowing of his robes, Snape stopped wearing wizarding robes and wore only loose black pants and silk shirts. Regulus finally convinced him to pierce his ear, and he wore the other hoop in the pair that Regulus owned. When Severus got a cold, a spell to decrease the congestion in his nose went horribly wrong, and his nose was permanently changed. It was much smaller and more normal looking, but he had a heightened sense of smell.


	4. Diagon Alley

When it was time for Draco and Harry to start school, they were sent to Diagon Alley together with a house elf, and Tiber somehow managed to come along. Draco had been before, but Tiber was rarely allowed out of his home, and Harry was usually told to stay out of sight and avoid notice. Tiber was running around everywhere, full of energy as usual. Draco rolled his eyes and suggested that they go to Flourish and Blotts first. Harry agreed, but when Tiber complained that it was boring, Harry suggested that Tiber find the other things on the list as fast as he could, and then they would buy him a sundae sized proportionally to how much sooner he finished than it took them to get their books. Tiber readily agreed. It didn't take Draco and Harry long to get their books, but Harry insisted that they let Tiber finish first. The two boys began looking for other books that seemed interesting since Draco's father was usually controlling over what he read, and Harry had already read almost everything Regulus and Severus owned.

Harry was looking at a book on Animagi when he heard Draco call him. "Hey Regulus, I can't reach this one! Can you give me a hand?"

Soon, Harry was lifting Draco up to stand on his shoulders, and even then, the blond had to go on tiptoe to reach. Then, the house elf spotted them. "Master Black! Master Malfoy! What would your mothers be saying? You were told not to do these dangerous things. The mistress will be most angry."

Draco protested, "Oh c'mon. Neither of our mothers is here, and we can do whatever we want!"

"Get down, Master Malfoy!"

"No, I—" Draco began, but then, someone crashed into Harry, and both boys fell. Hurriedly, Draco got up, and he peered anxiously at Harry to see if he was okay. The boy was sprawled on the ground and looked to be in pain. "Regulus! Regulus, are you alright?" Draco demanded, his eyes wide with worry for his friend.

A skinny man with brown hair that was beginning to turn gray peered curiously down at Harry. "What happened? Are you two boys okay?"

Draco turned to the stranger and raised an eyebrow. "Of course we're okay. He just happens to like lying on the ground," Draco replied sarcastically. He frowned. "Who are you anyway?"

"Sorry, my name is Remus Lupin."

Nodding distractedly, Draco muttered, "I'm Draco Malfoy." Harry tried to get up, but he fell back, clutching at his leg. "Did you break something again, Regulus?"

Grinning weakly, Harry responded, "I think so, and one of my ribs is a little sore. They'll kill me when I get back. I suppose my uncles were right in saying I can't stay out of trouble for a day."

"Honestly, Reg! You've got to be more careful." Draco turned to Remus. "Excuse me, sir, but since his leg is broken, do you think you might be able to help me get him on his feet? Once my cousin Tiber is here, I think we can manage. We've done this before, but Regulus is bigger than me so I can't lift him well, and I don't want to jostle him if his rib is broken." Remus quickly agreed, still in shock from the introduction. The aurors had been after the Malfoys for years, and he knew they practiced dark magic, but he wasn't sure how much this affected their son.

Once Harry was back on his feet, propped up by the arm he had slung over Draco's shoulders, Harry smiled at Remus. "Thank you, sir. Your name was Mr. Lupin, wasn't it?" Remus nodded. "I'm Regulus Black." Remus blinked.

Tiber raced over to them, eyes bright with excitement. "I did it! I finished! C'mon, Regulus promised me ice cream!"

"We'll get it in a moment. Tiber, Regulus broke himself again," Draco informed him.

Rolling his eyes, Tiber complained, "My mother always says I ought to behave just like my cousins, but if I did, I don't expect she'd be very pleased. Why does she like you two better anyway?"

Harry laughed. "C'mon, Tiber. Everyone knows Aunt Bellatrix is crazy. Besides, we're just like you, only we don't get caught."

Tiber finally noticed Remus. "Tiberius Black, sir, at your service, sir!" he announced cheerfully. He bowed stiffly and then burst into giggles. Demonstrating his short attention span, Tiber gazed longingly at Harry's earring. "I wish my mother would let me get my ear pierced."

"My father says I mustn't because earrings are not befitting a Malfoy," Draco agreed, wistfully staring at Harry.

Tiber suddenly remembered what he had originally been thinking about. "Sorry, sir. Who are you?"

Remus laughed. "My name is Remus Lupin."

"Are you an auror, Mr. Lupin?" Tiber inquired eagerly.

"No. I was, but I was injured during an assignment, and they decided I wasn't fit enough for fieldwork anymore, and auror paperwork is boring."

Grinning, Tiber announced, "I used to want to be an auror, but then my mother said that if I mentioned it again, she'd kill me, and my father was angry with me because I'm his only heir, and he doesn't want his fortune to pass to his brother so I decided to do something else instead." Remus frowned; he'd heard from Sirius that Bellatrix was mad, but he hadn't thought she'd murder her own son; the boy was very serious though so Remus knew that the threat had been in earnest. The boy was now peering at him interestedly. "Were you in Gryffindor, sir?"

Smiling, Remus, nodded. "Yes, I was."

"Do you know my mother's cousin Sirius?"

With another smile, Remus assured him, "Yes, I know him very well. We were best friends."

Draco caught the choice of wording and inquired, "Were? Are you not anymore, sir?"

Frowning slightly, Remus informed him, "We're still friends, but I haven't seen him much since we left school. For a few years, I saw him all the time, but then, something happened that made him more depressed and guilty most of the time, and he's been avoiding me and our other school friends since." He noticed that Regulus Black looked slightly apologetic. Draco was frowning at his friend as if trying to remember something.

Then his eyes lit up in realization as he inquired, "Guilt regarding the disappearance of Harry Potter, sir?"

Tiber offered cheerfully, "He's not dead or they'd have bragged about it already, and I don't think they've hurt him. I heard a rumor they're planning to send him to school passing as one of their children." Remus knew the boy couldn't tell him that he'd heard his parents discussing it, but he was fairly sure that was where the rumor came from. It was clever of the boy to find a way to reassure him without incriminating his parents, very Slytherin, but Remus felt a strange suspicion that this was just because the boy was used to covering up passing information. Briefly, he wondered if the boy was perhaps a spy for the light, but he knew no one in the Order would risk a child so he decided that it was just his imagination. "My mother says I'm just like Sirius," Tiber boasted, startling Remus out of his thoughts. The boy added, "She says that if I get sorted into Gryffindor, she'll disown me the second she finds out instead of waiting around for years."

Draco grinned, slinging an arm around the smaller boy's shoulders. "We already have a room picked out for him at the manor if my dear cousin finds himself in need of a home."

Remus noted that for a moment the other boy seemed wistful, but then Harry grinned again, and Remus couldn't tell whether it had just been his imagination. The boys went to pay for their books, and seeing that Remus had finished shopping as well, Harry suggested, "Would you like to come get some ice cream with us, sir?"

"On us of course," Draco quickly put in.

"I'd be honored," Remus told them. He watched as they arranged themselves with Harry in the middle so that he could lean on them for support.

Seeing that Remus was concerned, Harry assured him, "I'll get myself healed as soon as I get home."

While they were eating their ice cream, another wizard approached them. "Hello, Moony. Is it Annual Baby-sit the Death Eaters' Children Day again already? I must not have gotten the memo."

"Sirius…" Remus warned.

"It's quite alright, sir. We don't mind," Tiber assured him. He turned to Sirius and grinned. "Tiberius Black."

"Regulus Black," Harry continued.

"And Draco Malfoy," Draco concluded.

"At your service, sir," they chorused, and Tiber threw in a mock salute as well.

Sirius raised an eyebrow and then turned to Harry, "You have my brother's name." It wasn't quite a statement, but it wasn't a question either.

Harry raised an eyebrow in return. "As you didn't respect him enough while he was alive, I'm not sure why you care now that he's dead, but yes, I do have his name, and I've been informed that it suits me well." He turned to Remus. "Thank you for assisting us, sir. I hope you enjoyed your ice cream. We really must be getting home."

"Can we ditch the house elf again?" Tiber inquired.

"If we're quick about it," Harry told him.

They clasped onto the portkey Draco held out, and together, they murmured, "Portus."


	5. Old Rivals

Remus glared at Sirius. "Those boys never did anything to you, and besides, they just bought me ice cream. You could have been a bit nicer. Draco didn't even get to finish his, and I know he's been looking forward to it all day."

"Those little brats are my cousins' children," Sirius reminded him.

"Actually, I don't know whose son Regulus is," Remus pointed out. Sirius shrugged.

"Whatever. Who would be stupid enough to name a kid after my brother? He was such a pathetic coward that even the Death Eaters hate him."

"Is that so?" a familiar voice cut in. They spun to see Severus Snape watching them, his dark eyes glittering with anger.

"Did someone cast an Illusion Charm on you, Snivellus?" Sirius demanded, puzzled by Snape's altered appearance. He hadn't seen the man in years, and it was evident that he hadn't aged nearly as much as the other wizards in their year. Frowning slightly, he commented absentmindedly, "Regulus had an earring just like that."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Observant, aren't we?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It was your brother who gave me this earring, right after I got it pierced. It's the other one to the pair he wears."

Sirius grimaced. "I didn't know you two were best mates or whatever."

"We're not. It took him forever to convince me to get my ear pierced as well. He was just pleased he won."

Confused, Sirius inquired, "That is an Illusion Charm, isn't it? Though who would you get all dressed up for? It's not like you'd ever get a date."

Raising his eyebrows, Snape decided not to comment about the "date" thing. Instead he informed Sirius. "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this happens to be my genuine appearance. I would never do anything so ridiculous as change what I look like just to make people like me."

"But your skin isn't vampiric!"

"I'm not a vampire. Besides, I've been spending a lot of time outdoors collecting potion ingredients," Snape told him with obvious amusement.

"And your hair is…" Sirius trailed off as if not quite sure how to describe the change without complimenting the other man.

"A friend suggested I invent a potion to cut back on the residue left by potion-making. I used the profit from the sales of the potion to buy him a nicer Christmas present," Severus replied with a shrug, and Remus got the feeling that their former rival was enjoying shocking Sirius.

"You have friends!" Sirius exclaimed incredulously.

Sneering, Severus responded, "I can see why that might be a surprising concept to you, Black. You see, unlike you, my friends actually aren't plotting to kill me."

Guiltily, Remus recalled several of Snape's attempts to warn the Marauders about the rat during their final school year, attempts that had been laughed off by James, Sirius, and himself. Sirius cut into his musings by pointing out, "What about your nose, then? You were born with a rather ugly one."

Snape laughed. "Actually, my nose was broken into that shape when I was six. A recent spell by a rather incompetent would-be healer went miserably awry. As a result, I have been suffering from a peculiarly enhanced sense of smell these past three years."

"But…y-you're dressed like a muggle!" spluttered Sirius, desperate for this last oddity.

Sighing in annoyance, Severus chastised him, "Honestly, Black, are you really as idiotic as I always thought? You must know that it's common practice for muggleborns and half-bloods to dress in a style similar to that of their non-magic upbringing."

"Well, yeah, but—" Sirius stopped himself, his eyes going wide in shock. "You can't be a half-blood!"

"Why not? Last I checked, Tobias Snape was a muggle. Unless…were you suggesting that Eileen Prince wasn't a pureblood witch?" Severus asked in false ignorance.

"You—but—you—urgh—you!"

"Very intelligent," Severus commented dryly. Sirius opened his mouth, but he couldn't make any sound, at least not beyond some rather ambiguous grunt-like gasping noises of befuddlement. "Ah, your vocabulary has vastly improved since seventh year. It's good to see you have achieved something in the over a decade you've had to acquaint yourself with the real world." Remus was struggling very hard not to laugh since Sirius would no doubt take it as betrayal, and he knew his old friend was already cross with him. Severus raised an eyebrow at the werewolf, grinning; it was evident that Lupin was trying to hide his amusement.

Sirius and Remus stared; Severus Snape simply did not grin. Thinking back, Remus sighed. "What started this ridiculous argument anyways?"

"The half-blood thing," Sirius supplied immediately. Then he frowned, concentrating harder. "Before that was the whole 'appearance' thing. Er…I think it was the earring thing. Wait…no…there was something before that—" Sirius's eyes suddenly went wide.

"Have you had an epiphany?" Remus laughed.

"Shut up," Sirius ordered. Then he revealed what had surprised him so much. "He was standing up for Regulus!"

"I was not, Black. I was merely interrupting you while you insulted him. I don't 'stand up for' people; I am a Slytherin. I just thought that perhaps you ought to have a more complete understanding of the situation before disrespecting his memory."

With a sneer of his own, Sirius snapped, "What situation! It's not like that ridiculous idiot had anything to be proud of!"

Severus's eyes darkened, although neither of the former Gryffindors was certain how this was possible as his eyes had already been intimidatingly black. "It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to speak and be proven one."

"What are you talking about?"

"He never truly served the Dark Lord. Regulus knew the only way to destroy him would be from within his own ranks. He just wanted to prove that he wasn't who everyone thought he was. Even about half of the Death Eaters respect him. He was brave enough to be a Gryffindor, but he went about it in a much more Slytherin way."

Sirius opened his mouth to say something, startled that Snape had almost complimented Gyrffindors, but he was cut off by a wizard who sounded very annoyed. "Severus!" Snape stiffened guiltily. "When you tell a person that you will meet them in an hour, then you had best meet them in an hour precisely! I don't like standing around waiting for you!" The voice was getting closer, but Sirius and Remus couldn't see who it was coming from, though they looked in the direction from which it had originated.

"Look, I'm really sorry. Can we talk about this later?"

"School rivals aren't a good enough excuse, Severus! I—"

"They were insulting the memory of Regulus Black."

"Oh," the voice sounded almost flattered. "You still need to exercise self-control, Severus. He is dead so it hardly matters what a pair of Gryffindors think! You should have ignored them and come to see me promptly!"

"I wouldn't have been able to see you, remember," Severus pointed out. There was a muttered response that nobody heard, and then Sirius and Remus could almost see fingers reach out and tickle Snape who let out a muffled yelp. "What was that for!"

"I shall not dignify that with a response," the voice snapped, sounding as if the wizard were standing right beside Snape.

Severus turned slightly to the side and stuck his tongue out. "Git!" The voice must have said something, but neither of the Marauders could hear it. Snape's face turned slightly red as he blushed from whatever the wizard had whispered. "You're bloody infuriating!"

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now buy me some chocolate, you know you want to."

"Invisible menace," Snape muttered, but he seemed to agree, and he walked off with the invisible wizard.

"Well that was odd," Remus commented.

"Yeah. The voice sounded a lot like Regulus. It must be one of my cousins I've forgotten about or something."

When Snape and Regulus returned to Hogwarts, they found that Harry was already there. He grinned. "Narcissa dropped me off because Lucius was having an unexpected Death Eater meeting. I think she sent Draco and Tiber to Honeyduke's for a while to keep them safe. She didn't think I should go with them though because she thinks I need to rest." When both men stared at him curiously, he explained, "I broke my leg and I may have broken one of my ribs."

"What happened?"

"I was trying to help Draco reach something so he was standing on my shoulders, and then, someone knocked into me, and I fell. At least Draco was alright though. An acquaintance of my father's actually helped me up."

"Remus Lupin?" Severus suggested.

Harry smiled. "Yeah, he was polite, but he seemed a little unsure of himself. We bought him ice cream, but then we had an unwanted visitor."

"Sirius Black," Snape guessed.

"Exactly. Did you run into them?"

"Sort of."

"I had to stop him because he was trying to defend me from my brother," Regulus told Harry. Then, he asked, "Harry, you do realize that you're getting all this from a Slytherin point of view, right? Your father and his friends would be much friendlier if they didn't think we were evil."

Harry sighed. "I know, but they're stubborn and close-minded. Besides, it's not as if I ever have to worry about them accepting me, I'm going to be a secret so they don't have to know who I really am, and I don't have to think of them as my father's friends, or even of James Potter as my father."

"Harry, we're going to defeat the Dark Lord, and then you can have your family back," Severus informed him.

"What if I don't want them? I'd rather stay with you guys. I don't even know my parents. I'm not sure I like them, and I'm fairly certain they won't like me."

Sighing, Severus insisted, "Just give them a chance, Harry. You're right, you don't know them now, but you can become close to them later. I know you used to love them. When I took you, you were very worried about leaving James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus. You were upset that James, Lily, and Sirius were sad, and you were very proud that Remus was brave. You've got time. It's still probably years until the Dark Lord is defeated, but you can go back before then."

"I don't want to though! Besides, that would endanger you and Regulus! My birth parents aren't important enough to me for that."

"Harry, you know we love you, but we aren't your parents. You don't have to like them, but eventually, we will make sure they at least get to know who you are. If you still want to stay with us when the time comes, we'll try to work something out with your parents."

"And if they don't agree with us, then Sev and I will just kidnap you again," Regulus added. Severus glared at him for the nickname, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. Harry hugged them both.

"Thanks, you guys are the best!" Harry went to his room to read.

Regulus fidgeted slightly, looking at his feet. Finally, he looked up and met Severus's eyes. "Hey, Sev…"he began shyly. Severus blinked, startled; Regulus was always full of confidence, never shy. "Thanks for standing up for me." The man hugged him quickly and then grabbed his cloak, muttering about needing to get something for Harry from Zonko's. Severus stared blankly at the door after it had closed. Regulus and he were both unfamiliar with hugs until Harry came, and even then, they were rare and only for the boy. He'd always known that Regulus had difficulty trusting people and was vulnerable, and he was surprised how much it meant to the man that he had argued with Sirius over him. Snape finally became aware of the fact that he was grinning like an idiot so he shook his head at his own foolishness and went to make a potion to aid Harry's healing.


	6. The Study Group

The first day of school came, and Harry became slightly anxious about not being able to see Severus or Regulus, but he was firm in the idea that he wanted his education to be as normal as possible so he wouldn't sneak out of his dorm to visit them and would act as if Snape were merely his teacher, not even a vague acquaintance. Harry and Draco decided to get on the Hogwarts Express together. They sat in the last compartment, which, fortunately, was empty. They were talking about Draco's new favorite muggle author when they heard footsteps. Quickly, the boys changed their conversation topic to Quidditch so that no one would be suspicious. The door opened and a nervous looking boy came in. "Erm…hello, may I sit here?"

Harry shrugged and Draco grinned, "Sure."

"Thanks, by the way, I'm Neville Longbottom," the boy introduced himself.

"I'm Draco Malfoy, and he's my cousin, Regulus Black," Draco introduced them.

Neville swallowed nervously. "Oh."

Laughing, Harry joined the conversation. "You're Frank Longbottom's son, aren't you?" Neville couldn't speak so he just nodded. "I've heard he's really brave, and one of the best aurors the ministry's ever had."

Glancing miserably at his feet, Neville, whispered, "I'm nothing like him. My parents are nice, but all of my relatives think I'm a Squib. I'm clumsy and absolutely miserable at everything! I'm not brave at all; my cousins all call me a coward."

"Well that's not exactly inspiring family loyalty. Draco and I are best friends, and our cousin Tiber hangs out with us all the time. Maybe you just need a bit more confidence to get the spells right," Harry suggested.

"Nobody ever wants to spend time with me so it's not exactly like I have any friends to study with," Neville explained.

"Regulus and I can tutor you. Oh, but if you end up in Gryffindor, which is likely, we'll have to keep it secret or my father will disown me."

Neville smiled gratefully at Draco. "You guys would do that?"

"Yeah, why not," Harry agreed.

"Awesome!" Neville exclaimed. Then, a loud croak was heard from his pocket. Quickly, he took out his toad. "Sorry. This is Trevor."

"Something about him seems different than most toads," Harry commented thoughtfully.

Neville grinned. "Yeah. It took me a while to notice though. He plays stupid most of the time, but he's not really a toad. He's a pyrebat."

"Really? Cool! How'd you find out?" Draco demanded.

"I was getting suspicious of him so I told him and he transformed," Neville explained. Trevor leapt out of Neville's hand, and once he was in the air, transformed into a black bat with glowing red eyes and gold markings on its wings. "Isn't he beautiful?"

"Yeah," Draco agreed, eyes shining with longing.

"I read up on pyrebats and found this really old book in my mum's library. The author was a witch who had studied pyrebats by living with them in their caves for several years so she knew all sorts of stuff about them. No one else knows anything except how to identify them and defend against them. She discovered all sorts of interesting things, including that they can turn into toads to disguise themselves from enemies."

"Do you still have the book?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Yeah, do you want to read it?"

"Can I borrow it?" Harry pleaded. Neville smiled and nodded. They spent the next few minutes joking and laughing as Trevor showed off proudly. Suddenly, he transformed back into a toad. "I think that means someone's coming." Soon, they heard footsteps, and then, the compartment door opened again.

A third year boy with dark black hair and thoughtful light blue eyes stuck his head into the compartment. "Sorry, but I got in a fight in my old compartment and I need a seat. May I join you three?"

"Sure, but if the fight was with Slytherins, you might not want to stay," Harry warned him. The boy raised an eyebrow.

"Why's that?"

"Oh, he just means you probably won't like us, except for Neville," Draco explained.

"Who are you then?"

"Regulus Black."

"Draco Malfoy."

"And Neville Longbottom."

The boy blinked, but then he grinned. "I guess the three of you are sort of a contradiction then. Oh well. It was with Slytherins, but I think I'll stay if you lot don't mind. My name's Clarence Sterne."

Harry turned to the toad perched in Neville's palm. "What do you think, Trevor? Is he trustworthy?" Neville had explained earlier that pyrebats could sense things like this about people. Trevor cocked his head, which looked rather strange for a toad. Than he let out a high-pitched croak and transformed back into bat form. "I think that's a 'yes'." Clarence was watching Trevor excitedly.

"A pyrebat? That's so awesome!"

Neville shrugged. "That's what he said," he told him, pointing to Draco.

"What's your house?" Harry inquired.

"Ravenclaw," Clarence replied disinterestedly.

"You thinking what I'm thinking, Regulus?"

"Dunno, Draco, were you thinking Clarence could be the solution?"

"Yeah, if he's willing to help," Draco agreed quickly.

Neville and Clarence stared at them. "What are you two talking about?"

"Oh, right, sorry. We forgot. See, we usually only hang out with Tiber, and he sort of started thinking like us so we've sort of forgotten the need to explain ourselves to others," Draco explained.

"Sorry, we were thinking that Neville will most likely be a Gryffindor, but we agreed to help him study. Draco would be disowned for being friends with a Gryffindor. My uncles wouldn't mind, but I would definitely get in trouble as well. However, both Gryffindors and Slytherins are allowed to have friendships with Ravenclaws. Do you see what we were thinking now?"

"Oh, I get it. I'd be glad to help. And, I am a Ravenclaw, so if you want, we could all study together," Clarence agreed.

"That would be brilliant!" Draco exclaimed excitedly. Trevor turned back again. "Looks like we have another visitor," Draco observed.

Soon, the door opened again, and a small second year boy ran in. "Sorry," he squeaked before darting in and leaping up into the luggage rack, pulling his worn cloak around him and curling up so that he was as small and unnoticeable as possible. A second later, the door was violently flung open.

"Have any of you firsties seen a short little Hufflepuff who can't afford his own clothes run through here?" a boy with dark brown hair and cruel brown eyes demanded. Two other boys stood behind him, leering unpleasantly.

Neville shook his head, shrinking back into his seat. Regulus ignored them, and Draco raised an eyebrow. "Get the hell out of my compartment."

"Who are you?" the boy demanded.

"Well you're obviously Adam Nott, I heard your father's not very bright either. I'm Draco Malfoy."

Adam glared at him, but he was too afraid to say anything to a Malfoy. "Sterne, what about you? The kid's name is Samuel Dent, ever seen him?"

Clarence shrugged. "I wasn't really paying attention to firsties last year."

"Whatever. I know you have no friends, but have you sunken to sitting with firsties?"

"Malfoy and Black were terrorizing Longbottom. I thought I ought to keep an eye on them," Clarence lied. Adam glowered at all of them and left with his two friends.

"Thanks," Neville, Harry and Draco murmured to Clarence in unison.

"Hey, it's alright. I mean, we're friends, right?"

They exchanged glances and nodded sharply. "Right."

"Oh shit, that kid overheard us, didn't he?" Draco pointed out.

"Oi, you, are you Samuel Dent?" Clarence called to the boy up in the luggage rack.

The boy jumped down. "Yes." Now that they could see him better, they saw that his eyes were gold and bright, and his pale brown hair was curled into extremely bouncy ringlets. His skin was almost as pale as Harry's, and he was smaller than most first years. There was a bouncy sort of look to him though despite the overall weakness of his appearance. He grinned at them. "Thanks for hiding me!"

"Why exactly were you hiding though? I mean, what do they have against you?" Clarence inquired.

Samuel sighed. "Nott hates me because I survived an attack on my parents that killed his mother. She was one of the Death Eaters sent to kill my family. An auror, Remus Lupin, saved me. He got injured during the battle and stopped being an auror. My parents died that night."

"Oh, sorry," Draco apologized.

"I don't mind," Samuel assured him. He grinned at Trevor and withdrew a smaller toad from his pocket. "This is Haze. He's how I knew this compartment would be safe." The toad croaked loudly and transformed into another pyrebat.

"Excellent, would you like to join the secret study group we intend to organize? We might be able to keep you away from Nott," Clarence offered.

Samuel grinned, "That would be great!"

"We should probably introduce ourselves. I'm Draco Malfoy, but you probably already heard that."

"Regulus Black."

"Neville Longbottom."

"And Clarence Sterne."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and the boys in the compartment exchanged glances, wondering why the pyrebats hadn't alerted them as they had previously. A girl with very short black hair breezed in, seemingly oblivious to everyone in the compartment until she muttered, "Oh, hello, Clarence."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay, I know you're weird, but shouldn't you at least introduce yourself to the others?"

She blinked. "Oh, I suppose so. Sorry, I'm Jacqueline Turpin. I prefer Jak though because it drives my mother insane. Anyway, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm always sort of daydreaming; I forgot to pay attention again." They stared at her. "Well, my mind's been sort of drifting since my little sister Lisa woke me up this morning. She's new this year, and I know she's nervous, but she won't shut up!"

"Samuel Dent."

"Draco Malfoy."

"Regulus Black."

"And Neville Longbottom."

"I like your bats," she commented. She spotted the book Neville had lent to Harry. "I read that. It's fascinating. There are only seven copies of that book left though, you know. It was very difficult for me to get a hold of one." She blinked at Samuel. "You're a second year, aren't you?" He nodded. "So am I."

Clarence sighed. "It seems inevitable, so Jak, would you like to join our secret study group? It seems to be open to anyone the bats approve."

"I'd love to!"

They spent the rest of the train ride relaxing. Although they all agreed that their compartment was slightly crowded, none of them were willing to leave. Fortunately, no one else interrupted them. When they arrived, the group had to split up. Jak, Samuel, and Clarence decided to get a carriage together, and Draco, Harry, and Neville followed Hagrid. The only boat left already had another boy in it. "You guys can join me if you'd like," he offered. They grinned at him and got in. "I'm Xander." They blinked. "Oh, right, full names." He straightened, and his expression changed completely, his blond hair swept out of his face to reveal clear black eyes. Sounding every inch the pureblood, he drawled, "Alexander Moon, and you are?"

Draco snorted and then gave his best you-are-scum look. "Draco Malfoy."

His green eyes hard and emotionless, Harry hissed, "Regulus Black."

Brown eyes prideful and chin raised in defiance, Neville added, with his voice full of arrogance, "Neville Longbottom, what's it to you?" Xander stared at them and they stared at him, and then they all burst out laughing. Then, Neville looked down and his eyes widened in confusion. "Where's Trevor?"

Harry looked around and then nudged Neville, who followed Harry's gaze and spotted the toad perched on Xander's shoulder and croaking merrily. Trevor stayed there a moment longer and then hopped back to Neville. Grinning, Harry asked, "Xander, would you like to join our study group?"


End file.
